beginning to dial.
“Dad ...” Mark began. He wanted to tell his father not to ... not to ... what?
“Oh—right, Mark. Let’s have those sausages. Hi ... Barbara, it’s Jim again. Look, why don’t we just take a rain check on that dinner—put it off a week until Beebe’s feeling better. Right ... right ... but I was thinking ...”
Mark went into the kitchen and began unpacking the other groceries. He put the four cans of minestrone soup into the cupboard along with the six cans of tuna and the eight cans of refried beans. He had forgotten to buy napkins again, and they’d have to use paper towels or tissues. His father may have been very organized in his hardware store, but he wasn’t at all organized about grocery shopping. Increasingly, Mark had taken over the shopping because he was growing tired of eating out.
His father followed him into the kitchen, and sat down by the table. Now his face had a surly, dissatisfied look. “She won’t let me do anything for her. I offered to shop or pick up drugs, but she said no. If she’s so worried about leaving her kid alone for a couple of hours, how come she won’t let me go shopping for her?”
“Maybe she doesn’t need any shopping,” Mark suggested.
“Oh she does, she does.” His father sulked. “But she says a neighbor is doing it for her.”
“Well, then ...”
“She just won’t let me do anything,” his father said angrily. “I even offered to bring them some Chinese food so she wouldn’t have to cook, but she just said no. Everything I offered to do, she said no.”
“Dad,” Mark said kindly, as if he were talking to somebody very young, “Dad, maybe you just have to ...”
“Have to what?” his father snapped.
“Well—have to leave her be. Maybe you just can’t crowd her now. After all, her kid is sick and ...”
“Listen, Mark, I don’t need your advice. I know a lot more about women than you do.”
“I know, Dad, I know but ...”
“So just don’t tell me how to act.”
“Okay, Dad, okay.”
The phone rang, and his father flew out of the room. “Hello, hello,” he heard his father say.
“It’s for you.” His father returned to the kitchen and sank back into the chair by the table.
It was a girl. “Hi, Mark,” she said. “It’s Wanda.”
“Wanda?”
“I met you at Jennifer’s party a few weeks ago, and you were telling me all about the stars....”
“Oh right. Sure. I remember.”
“Well, maybe you also remember I told you I had a friend who also didn’t believe in astrology the way you said you didn’t.”
“Uh ...”
“Anyway, her name is Beebe Clarke and ...”
“She’s sick,” Mark said.
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “I didn’t think you knew her.”
“I don’t,” Mark said, and wondered how you tell somebody that the reason you know a girl you don’t know is sick is because your father is dating her mother. It was beyond him, and he muttered something about a friend telling him.
“Isn’t that funny. I mean, I didn’t see her in school today, but I didn’t know she was sick. I was going to call her after I asked you.”
“Asked me what?”
“If you wanted to meet her. My boyfriend ...” Wanda stopped to laugh with pride. “I mean, he and I have just started going out together. Actually, you met him at the party too. But we hadn’t started going around together then. His name is Frank Jackson. He was up on Jennifer’s deck when you and I were down in the yard.”
“Well ... I ...”
“Tall guy with curly blond hair and sort of green eyes.”
“Maybe I do remember him.”
“He’s going to play Capulet in the play. Only it’s not Capulet anymore. But he’s Juliet’s father, and he’s very strict. It’s funny because he’s really such a quiet guy, and he really has to carry on when she stays out late with Romeo.”
“Right,” Mark said quickly. “I remember him all right.”
“Anyway, what’s wrong with Beebe?”
“She’s
“Dad ...” Mark began. He wanted to tell his father not to ... not to ... what?
“Oh—right, Mark. Let’s have those sausages. Hi ... Barbara, it’s Jim again. Look, why don’t we just take a rain check on that dinner—put it off a week until Beebe’s feeling better. Right ... right ... but I was thinking ...”
Mark went into the kitchen and began unpacking the other groceries. He put the four cans of minestrone soup into the cupboard along with the six cans of tuna and the eight cans of refried beans. He had forgotten to buy napkins again, and they’d have to use paper towels or tissues. His father may have been very organized in his hardware store, but he wasn’t at all organized about grocery shopping. Increasingly, Mark had taken over the shopping because he was growing tired of eating out.
His father followed him into the kitchen, and sat down by the table. Now his face had a surly, dissatisfied look. “She won’t let me do anything for her. I offered to shop or pick up drugs, but she said no. If she’s so worried about leaving her kid alone for a couple of hours, how come she won’t let me go shopping for her?”
“Maybe she doesn’t need any shopping,” Mark suggested.
“Oh she does, she does.” His father sulked. “But she says a neighbor is doing it for her.”
“Well, then ...”
“She just won’t let me do anything,” his father said angrily. “I even offered to bring them some Chinese food so she wouldn’t have to cook, but she just said no. Everything I offered to do, she said no.”
“Dad,” Mark said kindly, as if he were talking to somebody very young, “Dad, maybe you just have to ...”
“Have to what?” his father snapped.
“Well—have to leave her be. Maybe you just can’t crowd her now. After all, her kid is sick and ...”
“Listen, Mark, I don’t need your advice. I know a lot more about women than you do.”
“I know, Dad, I know but ...”
“So just don’t tell me how to act.”
“Okay, Dad, okay.”
The phone rang, and his father flew out of the room. “Hello, hello,” he heard his father say.
“It’s for you.” His father returned to the kitchen and sank back into the chair by the table.
It was a girl. “Hi, Mark,” she said. “It’s Wanda.”
“Wanda?”
“I met you at Jennifer’s party a few weeks ago, and you were telling me all about the stars....”
“Oh right. Sure. I remember.”
“Well, maybe you also remember I told you I had a friend who also didn’t believe in astrology the way you said you didn’t.”
“Uh ...”
“Anyway, her name is Beebe Clarke and ...”
“She’s sick,” Mark said.
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “I didn’t think you knew her.”
“I don’t,” Mark said, and wondered how you tell somebody that the reason you know a girl you don’t know is sick is because your father is dating her mother. It was beyond him, and he muttered something about a friend telling him.
“Isn’t that funny. I mean, I didn’t see her in school today, but I didn’t know she was sick. I was going to call her after I asked you.”
“Asked me what?”
“If you wanted to meet her. My boyfriend ...” Wanda stopped to laugh with pride. “I mean, he and I have just started going out together. Actually, you met him at the party too. But we hadn’t started going around together then. His name is Frank Jackson. He was up on Jennifer’s deck when you and I were down in the yard.”
“Well ... I ...”
“Tall guy with curly blond hair and sort of green eyes.”
“Maybe I do remember him.”
“He’s going to play Capulet in the play. Only it’s not Capulet anymore. But he’s Juliet’s father, and he’s very strict. It’s funny because he’s really such a quiet guy, and he really has to carry on when she stays out late with Romeo.”
“Right,” Mark said quickly. “I remember him all right.”
“Anyway, what’s wrong with Beebe?”
“She’s
Similar Books
